Journal of my MMORPG gaming adventures

January 22, 2015

I recently re-subscribed to EVE Online. It’s that time again. The need for my flavor of sensory deprivation, that floating around in deep space provides. I am once again without a corporation because I wanted out of FW. I’ll be playing much too casually to be a flashing target.

Returning with the idea of continuing the grind toward level 4 missions, repairing my standing with the Caldari and dabbling in exploration meant vacating the low security FW home I’d moved to with my former corporation. I was definitely not looking forward to the 19 jumps back to Hek, which is where I like to setup shop when I’m going solo. To make things easier on myself I sold all of the ships I’d purchased and fitted locally for FW. I obviously kept the Viator to transport the rest of my goods. Followed by flying 2 Navy Vexors and the Aries out of the area one at a time.

New Tricks

Before the holiday I’d already wormed my way back to being “Good” with Caldari and was running a few missions per night – just before bedtime. I might not have been good at FW PVP but certainly learned a thing or two! The first time I had difficulty with the “boss” ship in an encounter and used things I’d been exposed to during FW, I was like “Cool, that experience paid off after all!” Before joining Aideron Robotics for FW I didn’t even know what web, scram or neut meant, let alone used the tactics in combat. The increased skill training queue and certificates also helped to define a more directed approach to training. It feels good to setup a ship to match a recommended fitting and be CAP STABLE. Sweet words indeed.

EVE is great for me to have gaming alone time in an MMO. I enjoy the quiet and open spaces in between encounters. The dark and muted tones put me into a chill mood. But I also know that doing PVE solo, even if I incorporate learning exploration, will get boring after a time. Not sure what if anything I’ll do about that. Guild mates from AA are now in EVE and they’re people I enjoyed immensely but it’s the same issue as before – they’re all Aussies. They’re coming online to play just as I’m signing off for the evening.

You're a Winner

Perhaps it’s fine that EVE fills this niche for me which happens couple of times a year. Maybe it doesn’t need to be or do anything beyond providing what it does when I’m in that mood. I’ve been watching a lot of Twitch lately as a distraction when I can’t focus enough to play anything and as luck would have it, I won a prize! I almost never bother participating in Twitch channel giveaways as I usually already own the game I’m watching. I did it on a lark and BAM!

March 18, 2014

I’ve said it many times. I’m more in love with the idea of EVE Online than the actual game play I experience. When I’m in “that” particular mood, drifting among the stars is relaxing and inspiring. For me it's undefinable but there’s some sexy about EVE. Before I played the game, I'd read a good bit of EVE fiction and lore. In preparation for the 9th expansion, Empyrean Age, I purchased and read the companion novel.

The first time I played Star Trek Online I recall wishing that EVE were a combination of what I liked in STO and the best of EVE. I wanted an avatar in EVE. I wanted space stations with players scurrying around. I wanted to walk up to a player or corporation owned kiosk to purchase goods. Maybe even see fights break out amongst rivals. I wanted to fly my ship, not point and click to navigate. More than any of that, I wanted the PVE missions amped up +100 - more story driven and representative of the amazing wealth of lore and player history. But that’s not EVE Online and STO had too many things I disliked to be its replacement.

Maybe this Time

Based on what I’ve read and seen, I believe Star Citizen might be the combination of features that will suit me better in a massive space sim title. On the surface, it’s promising to have the things I liked in STO and wished were in EVE instead. At the very least, it will have a single player campaign to deliver a solo “leveling” experience that is story driven and will have some impact on my character out in the persistent world. For that piece alone, I’d pay the box price. There’s also a ton of lore and serialized fiction being pumped out to read, something I enjoy greatly. It’s the kind of content that can keep me interested for quite some time, as long as the quality holds.

March 03, 2014

I definitely should have considered that I play EVE in spurts before joining Faction Warfare. I have more moments where I’m not looking for an adrenalin rush, than moments where I am. I haven’t played in a couple of weeks. Work and getting my shop ready for spring and summer having commandeered much of my free time, I don’t have the availability needed to get involved with pre-planned activities in EVE. My free time, mood and temperament seem to be counterproductive to participating in long term gaming commitments.

I must be doing it wrong! Before disappearing, I was still struggling with knowing for sure when it was safe to make the first hit in FW. Several times I had the advantage, having seen the ship on the scanner as I was nearing the area. However, they were not in my overview because they were cloaked and by the time I checked the pilot info to see their status, they’d started the engagement. Once I was saved when another friendly arrived. Another time, I just barely escaped.

EQN Landmark Beta

Across several mini sessions I’ve completed my first build – exterior and interior. It was fun. I enjoyed creating custom props much more than building structures. I think the template tool is great but I’d prefer if it, and all of the tools, handled micro voxels versus the manual way I have now discovered people are making them. My issue is that your ability to manipulate custom props is limited - rotate (some) and scale (not at all). So once I create an object comprised of micro voxels it's difficult to turn that into something else or re-use it beyond the base micro voxel. I dont have the patience for it.

My current assessment is that while I enjoyed constructing my claim, I had zero desire to knock it all down and start over – make something else. The world feels too dead, barren and lacking in visible player life to inspire me to “hang around”. Most of the time I played EQNL, I felt like I was in an offline building sim not a sandbox that supported other players. I saw what others had created when I passed by but VERY RARELY did I see actual signs of life. Sure it’s alpha but I’ve done many and this is the first one where it feels empty. And yet, all the claims are taken. :-\

Without the usual MMO PVE traps and tropes, I think players will be online in spurts to farm and build. Cooperative building and new biomes will bring people back in numbers for a bit but I don’t expect to see constant hordes of players online in these zones. Consequently, I don’t know if it will give me what I need to sustain an interest. I will certainly build a “home”, maybe small town or street when it goes live and put my favorite templates on the market. But at this point, I’m not seeing what’s going to make me stick around for a long period of time other than checking in every so often to tinker with new templates. Good thing it's free to play. I won't need to make that stay subscribed or unsubscribe decision.

February 24, 2014

I visited with the Sister Julie and Sister Fran to discuss my early experiences in EVE Online Faction Warfare. Excuse the few mis-speaks. Been a while since recording a show so was a little flustered plus talking about a new topic. But as ever, I had a great time!!

February 07, 2014

Color me impressed!! Surfing a few EVE blogs, I ran across a link to an EVE Online text adventure. It's very nicely done. There's something about EVE I find sexy and compelling even though I don't stick for long periods of time. It's almost like the whole game is pure RP because the elements are so interwined. You may not be "playing" your character but with the butterfly effect of player decisions, you might as well be in RP gear.

I enjoy the rich back story of New Eden. I like reading about player's adventures - good and bad. Yeah, there's a level of respect and admiration for anyone that plays a deep game in EVE cuz it ain't easy.

January 30, 2014

Another of those flashy stories coming out of EVE Online that makes gamers and gaming pundits take notice. When a conflict in a virtual world escalates to these proportions – 11 TRILLION ISK in losses ($300,000 USD), people want to know WTF? When players go at each other with assets that cost multiple billions in ISK + months, if not years to amass, the story is worth the telling and reading. And so far as I’m aware, a player driven conflict of this magnitude and scale, can only exist in New Eden.

I won’t try to paraphrase the events or information. I’m too new to life outside of high security to do it justice. I’ve linked a few articles on what happened. In particular, I appreciated Jester’s version done in layman’s terms and the post by CCP Dolan. Fox News carried the story and here's a video of events. There are many posts and videos to choose from if you search YouTube or Google.

In what other game can an oversight in payment escalate to 75 Titans being destroyed, 6K players colliding in a region for armed battle across 21 hours, smart bombs exploding like July 4th fireworks while 12K people watch in real-time via streaming?

This bloodbath goes down as gaming’s most destructive battle of all time. Only in EVE Online. Talk about shock-n-awe. Wow.

January 27, 2014

Today marks my first full week in Aideron Robotics and Faction Warfare. There’s likely a few days lag between my writing this and publishing it but its close enough. All in all, I’m pleased with the decision and outcome. I still haven’t had my first kill. Grrr – circumstances are conspiring against me. *Smile*

Across the whole time, there have been a half dozen encounters. Of those, three resulted in Aideron kills. In two of them, I arrived just as the only successful kill was completed and the tide was turning against us. Basically, I landed as we started getting boomed and got boomed with the rest. The only one where I was actually there at the start, I’m not sure what happened. I couldn’t get a lock on the target – was in range and spamming lock but it wouldn’t take. Suddenly my ship started melting out from under me and I had to warp out to safety.

I am NOT discouraged. I feel more comfortable every day. I’m learning the differences in style and delivery between our two primary Fleet Commanders which helps. I’m no longer stricken with terror if I’m sent to scout a location alone. I’ve lost several more ships since being podded but haven’t gotten popped again. I learned a lesson from that unfortunate event. Less than 25% of my Atron’s armor left, no logistic ships and comrades saying “I’m down” left right and center, means start pounding the warp button. It’s only seconds before my ship is going to explode and I need to get my pod moving.

The Fog Clears

EVE has been around for more than a decade. There’s no shortage of content on “how to” do just about anything you want to know. I keep reading up on topics as situations arise. One article in particular, lifted the veil of mystery for me and the fog instantly dissipated. It’s almost a duh moment. However, it’s clearly not obvious to new PVP players so someone felt the need to address it on Reddit.

As our small fleet warped to Heydieles, I was feeling much better about my ability to perform. I wasn’t going to be a rock star but I should be able to keep up. Earlier in the evening, I’d taken the Atron out to do a few missions. The agents available to me weren’t great and it’s not really what the corporation advises – doing missions flagged as a Faction Warfare target. However, I needed combat practice that wasn’t sitting back as a drone boat, which is what I’m used to as a PVE Gallente pilot.

Cat Meet Mouse

Faction Warfare thus far has been a cat-and-mouse affair. We scurry around the system looking for targets and I assume the enemy is doing the same. We encounter a single ship here and there, as they’re warping through. A warning blip on the screen for a nanosecond. We land near a pilot mid task. He detects us and warps off like a comet. We send Inceptors forth on recon. They relay intell of any possible encounters. Often times, by the time we arrive the opportunity is gone. As a result, I haven't seen many multiple ship encounters.

I was fine as we roamed low sec. I felt on top of things and aware. I was occasionally sent off to check gates and returned without incident. As luck would have it, we had just missed a scuffle in Tama. When we arrived the participants were still talking shit to each other in local chat. Damn! We’d been roaming for a while and had come up empty handed. Oh well, we continued looking for a fight. I was sent to check for targets at another outpost and zipped off.

January 21, 2014

My complete kerfuffle on deciding which corporation to join aside, the one thing I validated was the corporation’s stance on taking PVP noobs. If their bio didn’t state clearly they were ‘PVP Noob Friendly’, it was closed without further consideration.

I have an ‘old’ EVE account if you go by the birth of my character. However, I’ve never played more than a few months consecutively and 99.9% of that has been in high security space, running missions and salvaging. Transitioning to an aware, proactive and proficient PVP pilot isn’t going to happen overnight. And certainly won’t come about because I clicked the ‘join’ button for a PVP corp.

Sucking from a Fire Hose

The day after I officially joined Aideron Robotics, I participated in my first FW fleet. It was my first FW fleet - EVER. It was only my second formal fleet in the entirety of my EVE gaming career. To say it was like sucking from a fire hose would not be an exaggeration. It was organized but in my opinion, could have done a better job at accounting for the presence of noob PVP pilots.

There are things I know about EVE from reading other bloggers and having played the game. Things I know in theory but not in practice. I knew that I should have an overview specifically customized for PVP. I found a recommended package on the corporate forums and installed it. I knew that I should be aware of the benefits and disadvantages of the ship I was given to fly as a new inductee, so I did some reading on the Atron. I knew where we tended to launch PVP fleets from so I looked at a local map. I did the things I knew to do, to avoid being a complete liability. Unfortunately, none of my preparation helped very much.

Our corp members only fleets, use a standard setup/team composition, where the Atron is pretty much the forerunner to combat. We advance into combat to tackle and scramble targets. In normal speak, that means slow a ship down and prevent its ability to warp away. Other participants will be our heavier DPS ships and logistical support, such as remote repairing (healing). I’m sure this works very well when the pilots flying the Atron have a clue. We did not.